2 
R7 


IN  MEMORIAL 
Mary  J,   L,    Me  Donald 


How  I 


MESSAGE, 
to  GARCIA 


Colonel  Andrew  Summers  Rowan 

THE  MAN  WHOM 

ELBERT  HUBBARD 

IMMORTALIZED 
BY  HIS  FAMOUS 


Message  to  Garcia 


* 


WALTER  p.  HARNEY, 

HEWESBLDG. 
FRANCISCO,  CAL. 

•-  -Harrtt 


,: 


Price  Twenty-Five  Cent* 


"FRA  ELBERTUS" 
The  Master  Mind  of  Inspiration 

Millions  of  people  have  been  inspired  and  enriched 
by  the  Writings  of  Elbert  Hubbard.  The  MES 
SAGE  TO  GARCIA  was  one  of  his  early  writr 
ings.  It  would  be  hard  to  estimate  just  how  much 
good  that  wonderful  booklet  has  done.  Suffice  tq  • 
say  that  the  need  was  felt  for  such  commonsense 
philosophy  and  the  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 
filled  that  need,  acquiring  momentum  as  it  went 
on  its  way,  until  nearly  one  hundred  million 
copies  have  been  circulated,  having  been  printed 
in  every  language  in  use  today. 

Elbert  Hubbard  was  one  of  the  greatest  intellect 
ual  giants  of  modern  times, — indeed  of  any  time. 
His  influence  penetrated  humanity  leaving  a  throb 
of  inspiration  and  a  prescription  for  happiness  to 
j ,  all  whom  his  philosophy  reached.  He  knew  the 
shortcomings,  the  faults  and  the  failings  of  hit 
man  nature.  He  met  them  with  sensible  advice 
and  encouragement.  His  keen  insight  and  great 
heartedness,  combined  with  the  unusual  ability  to 
express  himself  simply  and  sincerely  were  his  re 
sources  at  hand, — no  other  pen  inspired  and  in 
structed  so  well, 

Hubbard  was  unquestionably  America's  most  Bril 
liant  and  able  writer.  His  "LITTLE  JOURNEYS 
TO  THE  HOMES  OF  THE  GREAT"  are  the 
Masterpieces  that  the  world  reco^ni^es  and  ac 
knowledges  as  the  work  of  a  genius.  In  them 
Hubbard  put  his  best  self.  He, gives  a  closeup 
view  of  the  greatest  men  and  women  of  all  times, 
— not  in  the  dry  uninteresting  biographical  style, 
but  in  his  own  inimitable  style,  packed  with  wis 
dom,  wit  and  inspiration,  with  touches  of  satire 
here  and  there  but  always  full  of  kindness  and 
good  cheer.  They  seemed  to  have  been  written 
for  people  who  think, — who  want  to  think.  . 


How  I  Carried 

The  Message  To  Garcia 


Colonel  Andrew  Summers  Rowan 

The  Man  Whom  Elbert  Hubbard  Immortalized 
by  His  Famous 

Message  To  Garcia 


Dear  Friend: 

Please  accept  this  volume 
with  the  compliments  and  best  wishes 
of  The  First  Congregational  Church 
of  San  Francisco. 

Yours  sincerely, 


Minister 


WAR  DEPARTMENT 

Washington,  D.  C. 

June  22,  1922. 
To  the  Honorable, 

Secretary  of  War. 
Sir: 

I  regard  the  achievement  of  Major  Rowan  as 
one  of  the  most  hazardous  and  heroic  deeds  in  mili 
tary  warfare  and  I  earnestly  recommend  that  he  be 
granted  the  most  distinguished  decoration  author 
ized  by  Congress. 

I  have  the  honor  to  remain  with  great  respect, 
Very  truly  yours, 


Dedicated  to  My  Wife 
JOSEPHINE  MORRIS  ROWAN 


IN  MEMORIAM 


Copyrighted 

in 

United  States,  Canada, 
England  and  Australia 

by 
Andrew  S.  Rowan 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 


"How  I  Carried  the  Message  to  Garcia" 

By 
COL.    ANDREW    S.    ROWAN 

"Let  us  both  small  and  great  push  forward  in 
this  work,  in  this  pursuit,  if  to  our  country,  if  to 
ourselves  we  would  live  dear.99  ;„,-.. 

«   ;  -*    :  ;- -Horace. 


HERE,"    asked    President    McKiiiley    of 
Colonel    Arthur    Wagner,    head    of    the 
Bureau  of  Military  Intelligence,  "where 
can  I  find  a  man  who  will  carry  a  mes 
sage  to  Garcia?" 
CJ   The  reply  was  prompt. 
CJ   ''There    is    a    young    officer    here    in 
Washington;     a    lieutenant    named    Rowan,    who    will 
carry  it  for  you!" 

^  "Send  him!"  was  the  President's  order. 
<I  The  United  States  faced  a  war  with  Spain.  The 
President  was  anxious  for  information.  He  realized 
that  success  meant  that  the  soldiers  of  the  republic 
must  co-operate  with  the  insurgent  forces  of  Cuba.  He 
understood  that  it  was  essential  to  know  how  many 
Spanish  troops  there  were  on  the  island,  their  quality 
and  condition,  their  morale,  the  character  of  their  offi 
cers,  especially  those  of  the  high  command;  the  state 
of  the  roads  in  all  seasons;  the  sanitary  situation  in 
both  the  Spanish  and  insurgent  armies  and  the  coun 
try  in  general;  how  well  both  sides  were  armed  and 
what  the  Cuban  forces  would  need  in  order  to  harass 
the  enemy  while  American  battalions  were  being  mo 
bilized;  the  topography  of  the  country  and  many  other 
important  facts. 

984770  5 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

€J  Small  wonder  that  the  command,  "Send  him!"  was 
equally  as  prompt  as  the  answer  to  his  question  respect 
ing  the  individual  who  would  carry  the  message  to 
Garcia. 

H  It  was  perhaps  an  hour  later,  at  noon,  when  Col 
onel  Wagner  came  to  me  to  ask  me  to  meet  him  at  the 
Army  and  Navy  Club  for  lunch  at  one  o'clock.  As  we 
were  eating,  the  colonel — who  had,  by  the  way,  a  rep 
utation  for  being  an  inveterate  joker — asked  me: 
CJI  "When  does  the  next  boat  leave  for  Jamaica?" 
€[  Thinking  he  wts  raaking  an  effort  to  perpetrate  one 
of  his  pleasantries,  and  determined  to  thwart  him,  if 
possible,  I  excused  mysei'f  for  a  minute  or  so  and  when 
i  had  returned  informed  him  that  the  "Adirondack,"  of 
the  Atlas  Line,  a  British  boat,  would  sail  from  New 
York  the  next  day  at  noon. 

.<!  "Can  you  take  that  boat?"  snapped  the  colonel. 
9$  Notwithstanding  that  I  still  believed  the  colonel  was 
joking  I  replied  in  the  affirmative. 
fl  "Then,"  said  my  superior,  "get  ready  to  take  it!" 
€][  "Young  man,"  he  continued,  "you  have  been  selected 
by  the  President  to  communicate  with — or  rather,  to 
carry  a  message  to — General  Garcia,  who  will  be  found 
somewhere  in  the  eastern  part  of  Cuba.  Your  problem 
will  be  to  secure  from  him  information  of  a  military 
character,  bring  it  down  to  date  and  arrange  it  on  a 
working  basis.  Your  message  to  him  will  be  in  the  na 
ture  of  a  series  of  inquiries  from  the  President.  Writ 
ten  communication,  further  than  is  necessary  to  identify 
you,  will  be  avoided.  History  has  furnished  us  with  the 
record  of  too  many  tragedies  to  warrant  taking  risks. 
Nathan  Hale  of  the  Continental  Army,  and  Lieutenant 
Richey  in  the  War  with  Mexico  were  both  caught  with 
dispatches;  both  were  put  to  death  and  in  the  case  of 
the  latter  the  plans  for  Scott's  invasion  of  Vera  Cruz 
were  divulged  to  the  enemy.  There  must  be  no  failure 
on  your  part;  there  must  bt  no  errors  made  in  this 
case." 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

<I  By  this  time  I  was  fully  alive  to  the  fact  that  Col 
onel  Wagner  was  not  joking. 

<I  "Means  will  be  found,"  he  continued,  "to  identify 
you  in  Jamaica,  where  there  is  a  Cuban  junta.  The 
rest  depends  on  you.  You  require  no  further  instructions 
than  those  I  will  now  give  you,"  which  he  did,  they 
being  essentially  as  outlined  in  the  opening  paragraphs. 
"You  will  need  the  afternoon  for  preparation.  Quarter 
master-General  Humphreys  will  see  that  you  are  put 
ashore  at  Kingston.  After  that,  providing  the  United 
States  declares  war  on  Spain,  further  instructions  will 
be  based  on  cables  received  from  you.  Otherwise  every 
thing  will  be  silence.  You  must  plan  and  act  for  your 
self.  The  task  is  yours  and  yours  only.  You  must  get 
a  message  to  Garcia.  Your  train  leaves  at  midnight. 
Good-by  and  good  luck!" 
<I  We  shook  hands. 

<I   As  Colonel  Wagner  released  mine  he  repeated: 
<I   "Get  that  message  to  Garcia!" 

Q  Hastily,  as  I  set  about  to  make  my  preparations,  I 
considered  my  situation.  My  duty  was,  as  I  understood 
it,  complicated  by  the  fact  that  a  state  of  war  did  not 
exist,  nor  would  it  exist  at  the  time  of  my  departure; 
possibly  not  until  after  my  arrival  in  Jamaica.  A  false 
step  might  bring  about  a  condition  that  a  lifetime  of 
statement  would  never  explain.  Should  war  be  declared 
my  mission  would  be  simplified,  although  its  dangers 
would  not  be  lessened. 

<JI  In  instances  of  this  kind,  where  one's  reputation,  as 
well  as  his  life,  is  at  stake,  it  is  usual  to  ask  for  written 
instructions.  In  military  service  the  life  of  the  man  is 
at  the  disposal  of  his  country,  but  his  reputation  is  his 
own  and  it  ought  not  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  anyone 
with  power  to  destroy  it,  either  by  neglect  or  other 
wise.  But  in  this  case  it  never  occurred  to  me  to  ask 
for  written  instructions;  my  sole  thought  was  that  I 
was  charged  with  a  message  to  Garcia  and  to  get  from 
him  certain  information  and  that  I  was  going  to  do  it. 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

fl  Whether  Colonel  Wagner  ever  placed  on  file  in  the 
office  of  the  adjutant-general  the  substance  of  our  con 
versation  I  do  not  know.  At  this  late  day  it  matters 
little. 

*I  My  train  left  Washington  at  12:01  a.  m.,  and  I  have 
a  recollection  of  thinking  of  an  old  superstition  about 
starting  on  a  journey  on  Friday.  It  was  Saturday  when 
the  train  departed,  but  it  was  Friday  when  I  left  the 
club.  I  assumed  the  Fates  would  decide  that  I  had  left 
on  Friday.  But  I  soon  forgot  that  in  my  mental  dis 
cussion  of  other  matters  and  did  not  recall  it  until  some 
time  afterward  and  then  it  mattered  nothing,  for  my 
mission  had  been  completed. 

CJ  The  "Adirondack"  left  on  time  and  the  voyage  was 
without  special  incident.  I  held  myself  aloof  from  the 
other  passengers  and  learned  only  from  a  traveling  com 
panion,  an  electrical  engineer,  what  was  going  on.  He 
conveyed  to  me  the  cheerful  information  that  because  of 
my  keeping  away  from  them  and  giving  no  one  any 
information  as  to  my  business,  a  bunch  of  convivial  spir 
its  had  conferred  on  me  the  title  of  "the  bunco  steerer." 
fl  It  was  when  the  ship  entered  Cuban  waters  that  I 
first  realized  danger.  I  had  but  one  incriminating  pa 
per,  a  letter  from  the  State  Department  to  officials  in 
Jamaica  saying  that  I  was  what  I  might  represent  my 
self  to  be.  But  if  war  had  been  declared  before  the 
Adirondack  entered  Cuban  waters  she  would  have  been 
liable  to  search  by  Spain,  under  the  rules  of  interna 
tional  law.  As  I  was  contraband  and  the  bearer  of 
contraband  I  could  have  been  seized  as  a  prisoner  of 
war  and  taken  aboard  any  Spanish  ship,  while  the  Brit 
ish  boat,  after  compliance  with  specified  preliminaries, 
could  have  been  sunk,  despite  the  fact  that  she  left  a 
peaceful  port  under  a  neutral  flag,  bound  for  a  neutral 
port,  prior  to  a  declaration  of  war. 

<I  Recalling  this  state  of  affairs,  I  hid  this  paper  in 
the  life  preserver  in  my  stateroom  and  it  was  with 
great  relief  I  saw  the  cape  astern. 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

CJ   By  nine  next  morning  I  had  landed  and  was  a  guest 
of  Jamaica.     I  was  soon  in  touch  with  Mr.  Lay,  head 
of  the  Cuban  junta,  and  with  him  and  his  aids  planning 
to  get  to  Garcia  as  soon  as  possible. 
<J   I  had  left  Washington  April  8-9.     April  20  the  ca 
bles  announced  that  the  United  States  had  given  Spain 
until  the  23  to  agree  to  surrender  Cuba  to  the  Cubans 
and  to  withdraw  her  armed  forces  from  the  island  and 
her  navy  from  its  waters.     I  had  in  cypher  cabled  my 
arrival  and  on  April  23  a  reply  in  code  came: 
CI   "Join  Garcia  as  soon  as  possible!" 
<I   In  a  few  minutes   after  its   receipt   I   was   at   head 
quarters   of  the  junta,   where   I   was   expected.     There 
were  a  number  of  exiled  Cubans  present  whom  I  had 
not  met  before  and  we  were  conversing  on  general  top 
ics  when  a  carriage  drove  up. 
€}   "It  is  time!"  some  one  exclaimed  in  Spanish. 
{][   Following  which,  without  further  discussion,   I  was 
led  to  the  vehicle  and  took  a  seat  inside. 
CJ   Then  began  one  of  the  strangest  rides  ever  taken  by 
a  soldier  on  duty  or  off.     My  driver  proved  to  be  the 
most  taciturn  of  Jehus.     He  spoke  not  to  me,  nor  heeded 
me  when  I  spoke  to  him.     The  instant   I  was  shut  in 
he  started  through  the  maze  of  Kingston's  streets  at  a 
furious   pace.     On   and   on   he   drove,   never   slackening 
speed,  and  soon  we  had  passed  the  suburbs  and  were 
beyond  all  habitations.    I  knocked,  yes,  kicked,   but  he 
gave   no   heed. 

€5  He  seemed  to  understand  that  I  was  carrying  a  mes 
sage  to  Garcia  and  that  it  was  his  part  to  get  me  over 
the  first  "leg"  of  the  journey  as  speedily  as  possible. 
So,  after  several  futile  efforts  to  make  him  listen  to  me, 
I  decided  to  let  matters  take  their  course  and  settled 
back  in  my  seat. 

t|  Four  miles  farther,  through  a  dense  growth  of  trop 
ical  trees,  we  flew  along  the  broad  and  level  Spanish 
Town  road,  until  at  the  edge  of  the  jungle  we  halted, 
the  door  of  the  cab  was  opened,  a  strange  face  appeared 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

and  I  was  invited  to  transfer  to  another  carriage  that 
was  waiting. 

fl  But  the  strangeness  of  it  all!  The  order  in  which 
everything  appeared  to  be  arranged!  Not  an  unneces 
sary  word  was  indulged  in,  not  a  second  of  time  was 
wasted. 

1$  A  minute  later  and  again  I  was  on  my  way. 
<I  The  second  driver,  like  the  first,  was  dumb.  He  de 
clined  all  efforts  made  to  get  him  in  conversation,  con 
tenting  himself  by  putting  his  horses  to  as  swift  a  pace 
as  possible,  so  on  we  went  through  Spanish  Town  and 
up  the  valley  of  the  Cobre  river  to  the  backbone  of  the 
island  where  the  road  runs  down  to  the  ultramarine  wa 
ters  of  the  Caribbean  at  St.  Ann's  Bay. 
CJ  Still  not  a  word  from  my  driver,  although  I  repeat 
edly  endeavored  to  get  him  to  talk  to  me.  Not  a  sound, 
not  a  sign  that  he  understood  me;  just  a  race  along  a 
splendid  road,  breathing  more  freely  as  the  altitude  in 
creased,  until  as  the  sun  set  we  drew  up  beside  a  rail 
way  station. 

<l  But  what  is  this  mass  of  ebony  rolling  down  the 
slope  of  the  cut  toward  me?  Had  the  Spanish  author 
ities  anticipated  me  and  placed  Jamaica  officers  on  my 
trail?  I  was  uneasy  for  a  moment  as  this  apparition 
came  in  sight,  but  relief  came  when  an  old  negro  hob 
bled  to  the  carriage  and  shoved  through  the  door  a  de- 
liciously  fried  chicken  and  two  bottles  of  Bass'  ale,  at 
the  same  time  letting  loose  a  volley  of  dialect,  which, 
as  I  was  able  to  catch  a  word  here  and  there,  I  under 
stood  was  highly  complimentary  to  me  for  helping  Cuba 
gain  her  freedom  and  giving  me  to  understand  that  he 
was  "doing  his  bit"  with  me. 

€I  But  my  driver  stood  not  on  ceremony,  nor  was  he 
interested  in  either  chicken  or  conversation.  In  a  trice  a 
new  pair  of  horses  was  relayed  on  and  away  we  went, 
my  Jehu  plying  his  whip  vigorously.  I  had  only  time 
enough  to  thank  the  old  negro  by  shouting: 
<I  "Good-by,  uncle!" 

10 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

C[  In  another  minute  we  had  left  him  and  were  racing 
through  the  darkness  at  break-neck  speed. 
<J  Although  I  fully  comprehended  the  gravity  and  im 
portance  of  the  errand  in  which  I  was  engaged,  I  lost 
sight  of  it  for  the  time  in  my  admiration  of  the  tropical 
forests.  These  wear  their  beauty  at  night  as  well  as  by 
day.  The  difference  is  that  while  during  the  sunlight 
it  is  the  vegetable  world  that  is  in  perennial  bloom,  at 
night  it  is  the  insect  world  in  its  flight  that  excites 
attention.  Hardly  had  the  short  twilight  changed  to 
utter  darkness  when  the  glow-worms  turned  on  their 
phosphorescent  lights  and  flooded  the  woods  with  their 
weird  beauties.  These  magnificent  fireflies  illuminated 
with  their  incandescence  the  forest  I  was  traversing  un 
til  it  resembled  a  veritable  fairyland. 
<I  But  even  such  wonders  as  these  are  forgotten  in  the 
recollection  of  duty  to  be  performed.  We  still  coursed 
onward  at  a  speed  that  was  limited  only  by  the  physical 
abilities  of  the  horses,  when  suddenly  a  shrill  whistle 
sounded  from  the  jungle! 

€1  My  carriage  stopped.  Men  appeared  as  if  they  had 
sprung  from  the  ground.  I  was  surrounded  by  a  party 
of  men  armed  to  the  teeth.  I  had  no  fear  of  being  inter 
cepted  on  British  soil  by  Spanish  soldiers,  but  these  ab 
rupt  halts  were  getting  on  my  nerves,  because  action  by 
the  Jamaica  authorities  would  mean  the  failure  of  the 
mission,  and  if  the  Jamaica  authorities  had  been  notified 
that  I  was  violating  the  neutrality  of  the  island  I  would 
not  be  allowed  to  proceed.  What  if  these  men  were 
English  soldiers! 

<I  But  my  feelings  were  soon  relieved.  A  whispered 
parley  and  we  were  away  again! 

<J  In  about  an  hour  we  halted  in  front  of  a  house  out 
lined  by  feeble  lights  within.  Supper  waited.  The  junta 
manifestly  believed  in  liberal  feeding. 
<JI  The  first  thing  offered  me  was  a  glass  of  Jamaica 
rum.  I  do  not  recall  that  I  was  tired,  although  we 
had  traveled  about  seventy  miles  in  approximately  nine 

11 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

hours  with  two  relays,  but  I  do  know  that  the  rum 
was  welcome. 

€J  Following  came  introductions.  From  an  adjoining 
room  came  a  tall,  wiry,  determined-looking  man,  with 
a  fierce  moustache,  one  of  his  hands  minus  a  thumb;  a 
man  to  tie  to  in  an  emergency,  to  trust  at  any  time. 
His  eyes  were  honest,  loyal  eyes  that  mirrored  a  noble 
soul.  He  was  a  Peninsula  Spaniard  who  had  gone  to 
Cuba,  at  Santiago  had  quarreled  with  the  rule  of  Old 
Spain,  hence  the  missing  thumb  and  exile.  He  was  Ger- 
vacio  Sabio  and  he  was  charged  with  seeing  that  I  was 
guided  to  General  Garcia  for  the  delivery  of  my  mes 
sage.  The  others  were  the  men  employed  to  get  me  out 
of  Jamaica  —  seven  miles  remaining  to  be  traveled  — 
with  one  exception,  one  man  was  to  be  my  "assistente," 
or  orderly. 

CJ  Following  a  rest  of  an  hour  we  proceeded.  Half  an 
hour's  travel  from  the  hut  we  were  again  halted  by 
whistle  signals.  We  alighted  and  entered  a  cane  field 
through  which  we  tramped  in  silence  for  about  a  mile 
until  we  came  to  a  cocoanut  grove  bordering  a  play 
thing  of  a  bay. 

€j[  Fifty  yards  oft7  shore  a  small  fishing  boat  rocked 
softly  on  the  water.  Suddenly  a  light  flashed  aboard 
the  little  craft.  It  must  have  been  a  time  signal,  for 
our  arrival  had  been  noiseless.  Gervacio,  apparently  sat 
isfied  with  the  alertness  of  the  crew,  answered  it. 
<][  Following  some  conversation  during  which  I  thanked 
the  agents  of  the  junta,  I  climbed  on  the  back  of  one 
of  the  boat's  crew  who  had  waded  ashore  and  was  car 
ried  to  the  boat. 

C[  I  had  completed  the  first  part  of  the  journey  to 
Garcia. 

t|  Once  aboard  the  boat  I  noted  that  it  was  partially 
filled  with  boulders  intended  for  ballast.  Oblong  bun 
dles  indicated  cargo,  but  not  sufficient  to  impede  prog 
ress.  But  with  Gervacio  as  skipper,  the  crew  of  two  men, 

12 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

my  assistente  and  myself,  the  boulders  and  the  bundles, 
there  was  little  room  for  comfort. 

<I  I  indicated  to  Gervacio  my  desire  to  get  beyond  the 
three-mile  limit  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I  did  not  want 
to  impose  upon  the  hospitality  of  Great  Britain  longer 
than  necessary.  He  replied  that  the  boat  would  have 
to  be  rowed  beyond  the  headlands,  as  there  was  not 
sufficient  wind  in  the  small  bay  to  fill  her  sails.  We 
were  soon  outside  the  cape,  however,  our  sails  caught 
the  breeze  and  the  second  stretch  of  the  trip  to  the 
strife-torn  objective  was  begun. 

<!  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  there  were  some 
anxious  moments  for  me  following  our  departure.  My 
reputation  was  at  stake  if  I  should  be  caught  within 
the  three-mile  limit  off  the  Jamaica  coast.  My  life 
would  be  at  stake  if  I  should  be  caught  within  three 
miles  of  the  Cuban  coast.  My  only  friends  were  the 
crew  and  the  Caribbean  sea. 

C|  One  hundred  miles  to  the  north  lay  the  shores  of 
Cuba,  patroled  by  Spanish  "lanchas,"  light-draft  vessels 
armed  with  pivot  guns  of  small  caliber,  and  machine 
guns,  their  crews  provided  with  Mauser  rifles,  far  su 
perior — as  I  afterward  learned — to  anything  we  had 
aboard;  as  motley  a  collection  of  small  arms  as  could 
be  picked  up  anywhere.  In  the  event  of  an  encounter 
with  one  of  these  "lanchas"  there  was  little  to  hope  for. 
CI  But  I  must  succeed;  I  must  find  Garcia  and  deliver 
my  message! 

<I  Our  plan  of  action  was  to  keep  outside  the  Cuban 
three-mile  limit  until  after  sunset,  then  to  sail  or  row 
in  rapidly,  draw  behind  some  friendly  coral  reef  and 
wait  until  morning.  If  we  were  caught,  as  we  car 
ried  no  papers,  we  would  probably  be  sunk  and  no 
questions  asked.  Boulder-laden  craft  go  to  the  bottom 
quickly  and  floating  bodies  tell  no  tales  to  those  who 
find  them. 

<I  It  was  now  early  morning,  the  air  was  deliciously 
cool  and,  wearied  with  my  journey  thus  far  I  was  about 

13 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

to  seek  some  rest  in  sleep  when  suddenly  Gervacio  gave 
an  exclamation  that  brought  us  all  to  our  feet.  A  few 
miles  away  one  of  the  dreaded  lanchas  was  bearing  di 
rectly  toward  us. 

CJ  A  sharp  command  in  Spanish  and  the  crew  dropped 
the  sail. 

<I  Another  and  all  save  Gervacio,  who  was  at  the  helm, 
were  below  the  gunwale,  and  he  was  lounging  over  the 
tiller,  keeping  the  boat's  nose  parallel  with  the  Jamaica 
shore. 

C[   "He  may  think  I  am  a  'lone  fisherman"  from  Jamaica 
and  go  by  us,"  said  the  cool-headed  steersman. 
<I   So  it  proved.    When  within  hailing  distance  the  pert 
young  commander  of  the  lancha  cried  in  Spanish: 
<I   "Catching  anything?" 

CJ  To  which  my  guide  responded,  also  in  Spanish: 
if  "No,  the  miserable  fish  are  not  biting  this  morning!" 
C[  If  only  that  midshipman,  or  whatever  his  rank,  had 
been  wise  enough  to  lay  alongside,  he  surely  would  have 
"caught  something,"  and  this  story  would  never  have 
been  written.  When  he  had  passed  us  and  was  some 
distance  away,  Gervacio  ordered  sail  hoisted  again  and 
turning  to  me  remarked : 

CJ"If  the  Senor  is  tired  and  wants  sleep,  he  can  now  in 
dulge  himself,  for  I  think  the  danger  is  past." 
CJ  If  anything  occurred  during  the  next  six  hours,  it 
left  me  undisturbed.  In  fact,  I  believed  that  nothing 
except  the  broiling  heat  of  the  tropical  sun  could  have 
drawn  me  from  my  rocky  mattress.  But  it  did  for 
the  Cubans,  who  were  quite  proud  of  their  Eng 
lish,  greeted  me  with:  "Buenos  dias,  Meester  Rowan!" 
The  sun  shone  brilliantly  all  day.  Jamaica  was  all 
aglow,  like  some  mighty  jewel  in  a  setting  of  emerald. 
The  turquoise  sky  was  cloudless  and  to  the  south  the 
green  slopes  of  the  island  were  blocked  off  in  large 
squares,  showing  to  great  advantage  the  light  verdancy 
of  the  cane  fields  alternating  with  the  deeper  hue  of  the 
forests.  It  was  a  splendid  and  a  magnificent  picture. 

14 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

But  northward  all  was  gloom.  An  immense  bank  of 
clouds  enshrouded  Cuba  and,  watch  as  keenly  as  we 
might,  we  saw  no  sign  of  their  lifting.  But  the  wind 
held  true  and  even  increased  in  volume  during  the 
hours.  We  were  making  good  progress  and  Gervacio 
at  the  tiller  was  happy,  joking  with  the  crew  and  smok 
ing  like  a  "fumarole." 

CJ  About  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  clouds  broke 
away  and  the  Sierra  Maestra,  the  master  mountain  range 
of  the  island,  stood  in  the  golden  sunshine  in  all  its 
beauteous  majesty.  It  was  like  drawing  the  curtain 
aside  and  placing  on  view  a  matchless  picture  by  an 
artist  monarch.  Here  were  color,  mass,  mountain,  land 
and  sea  blended  in  one  splendid  ensemble,  the  like  of 
which  is  found  nowhere  else,  for  there  is  no  place  on 
earth  where  a  mountain  range  rises  abruptly  from  the 
ocean  to  a  height  of  8000  feet,  its  summits  clothed  in 
verdure  and  its  great  battlements  extending  for  hun 
dreds  of  miles! 

<I  But  my  admiration  was  short  lived.  Gervacio  broke 
the  spell  when  he  began  taking  in  sail.  To  my  ques 
tion  he  replied: 

fl  "We  are  closer  in  than  I  thought.  We  are  in  the 
war  zone  of  the  lanchas,  high  seas  or  no  high  seas.  We 
must  stand  well  out  and  use  the  open  water  for  all  it 
is  worth.  To  go  closer  and  run  the  risk  of  being  seen 
by  the  enemy  is  merely  to  run  an  unnecessary  risk." 
<I  Hastily  we  overhauled  the  arsenal.  I  carried  only 
a  Smith  &  Wesson  revolver,  so  I  was  assigned  a  fright 
ful  looking  rifle.  I  might  have  been  able  to  fire  it  once, 
but  I  doubt  if  it  would  have  been  of  further  service. 
The  crew  and  my  assistente  were  provided  with  the 
same  formidable  weapons,  while  the  pilot,  who  from  his 
seat  looked  after  the  jib,  the  only  sail  set,  drew  close 
to  him  the  other  weapons.  The  real  serious  part  of 
my  mission  was  now  at  hand.  Hitherto  everything  had 
been  easy  and  comparatively  safe.  Now  danger  men- 

15 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

aced.  Grave  danger.  Capture  meant  death  and  my 
failure  to  carry  my  message  to  Garcia. 
fll  We  were  probably  twenty-five  miles  from  the  coast, 
although  it  seemed  but  a  span  away.  It  was  not  until 
nearly  midnight  that  the  jib-sheet  was  let  go  and  the 
crew  began  sounding  the  shallow  water  with  their  oars. 
Then  a  timely  roller  gave  us  a  last  lift  and  with  a 
mighty  effort  shoved  us  into  the  waters  of  a  hidden, 
peaceful  bay.  We  anchored  in  the  darkness  fifty  yards 
off  shore.  I  suggested  that  we  land  at  once,  but  Ger- 
vacio  replied: 

CJ  "We  have  enemies  both  ashore  and  afloat,  Senor; 
it  is  better  that  we  stay  where  we  are.  Should  any 
lancha  endeavor  to  pry  us  out  she  would  likely  land  on 
the  submerged  coral  reef  we  have  crossed  and  we  can 
get  ashore,  and  from  the  obscurity  of  the  grape  entan 
glements  we  can  play  the  game." 

€1  The  tropical  haze  which  ever  hangs  mistlike  at  the 
meeting  of  the  sea  and  sky  in  low  altitudes  began  to 
lift  slowly,  disclosing  a  mass  of  grape,  mangrove  thick 
ets  and  thorn-set  trees,  reaching  almost  to  the  edge  of 
the  water.  It  was  difficult  to  perceive  objects  with  dis 
tinctness,  but  as  if  declining  to  puzzle  us  further  as  to 
the  nature  of  our  surroundings,  the  sun  rose  gloriously 
over  El  Turquino,  the  highest  point  in  all  Cuba.  In 
an  instant  everything  had  changed,  the  mist  had  van 
ished,  the  darkness  of  the  low-lying  thicket  against  the 
mountain  wall  had  been  dissipated,  the  gray  of  the  wa 
ter  breaking  against  the  shore  had  been  transformed 
as  if  by  magic  to  a  marvelous  green.  It  was  one  splen 
did  triumph  of  light  over  darkness. 

€J  Already  the  crew  were  busy  transferring  luggage 
ashore.  Noting  me  standing  mute  and  seemingly  dazed, 
for  I  was  thinking  of  the  lines  by  a  poet  who  must  have 
had  a  similar  scene  in  mind  when  he  wrote : 

€][   "Night's  candles  are  burnt  out  and  jocund  day 
16 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

fl  Stands  tip-toe  on  the  misty  mountain  tops," 
Gervacio  said  in  a  low  tone  to  me: 
t][  "El  Turquino,  Senor!" — the  Tutor. 
€f  As  I  stood  there  drinking  in  the  glory  of  that  mar 
vellous  morning,  little  did  I  dream  that  I  was  standing 
within  a  stone's  throw,  almost,  of  what  was  soon  to  be 
the  watery  sepulchre  of  the  mighty  "Colon,"  a  great 
battleship,  then  first  in  her  class  and  bearing  the  name 
of  the  greatest  of  all  admirals,  Christopher  Columbus, 
the  discoverer  of  America,  this  great  ship  having  already 
been  selected  by  the  Fates  to  be  destroyed  by  our  own 
warships  in  the  sea  fight  off  Santiago. 
€J  But  my  reveries  were  soon  ended.  The  freight  was 
landed,  I  was  carried  ashore,  the  boat  dragged  to  a 
small  estuary,  overturned  and  hidden  in  the  jungle.  By 
this  time  a  number  of  ragged  Cubans  had  assembled  at 
our  landing  place.  Where  they  came  from,  or  how  they 
knew  that  our  party  was  a  friendly  one,  were  problems 
too  deep  for  me.  Signals  of  some  sort  had  doubtless 
been  exchanged  and  they  had  come  to  act  as  burden- 
bearers.  Some  of  them  had  seen  service,  some  of  them 
bore  the  marks  made  by  Mauser  bullets. 
<I  Our  landing  place  seemed  to  be  a  junction  of  paths 
running  in  all  directions  away  from  the  coast  and  into 
the  thicket.  Off  to  the  west,  seemingly  about  a  mile 
away,  little  columns  of  smoke  were  rising  through  the 
vegetation.  I  learned  that  this  smoke  was  from  a  "sa- 
lina,"  or  pan  where  salt  was  being  made  for  the  refu 
gee  Cubans  who  had  hidden  in  these  mountains  after 
fleeing  from  the  dreaded  concentration  camps. 
<I  The  second  "leg"  of  the  journey  was  completed. 
€J  Hitherto  there  had  been  danger;  from  this  time  on 
there  would  be  more.  Spanish  troops  mercilessly  hunt 
ed  down  Cubans  and  small  mercy  was  shown  by  the 
forces  directed  by  Weyler,  the  "butcher,"  to  men  found 
in  arms,  or  outside  the  concentration  camps,  even  though 
they  might  be  unarmed.  The  remainder  of  the  journey 
to  Garcia  was  fraught  with  many  dangers  and  I  knew 

17 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

it,  but  this  was  no  time  to  consider  them;  I  must  be 
on  my  way! 

fl  The  topography  of  the  country  was  simple  enough; 
a  level  strip  of  land  extending  a  mile  or  so  inland  to 
ward  the  north,  covered  with  jungle.  Man's  handiwork 
had  been  confined  to  cutting  paths,  and  the  network 
could  be  threaded  only  by  the  Cubans  reared  in  this 
labyrinth.  The  heat  soon  became  oppressive  and  caused 
me  to  envy  my  companions,  none  of  whom  were  bur 
dened  by  superfluous  clothing. 

C]I  Soon  we  were  on  the  march,  screened  from  the  sea 
and  the  mountains,  and,  indeed,  from  each  other,  by 
the  denseness  of  the  foliage,  the  twists  and  turns  of  the 
trail  and  the  torrid  haze  that  soon  settled  over  every 
thing.  The  jungle  was  converted  into  a  miniature  in 
ferno  by  the  sun,  although  we  could  not  see  it  through 
the  verdure.  But  as  we  left  the  coast  and  approached 
the  foothills  the  jungle  began  to  give  way  to  a  larger 
and  less  dense  growth.  We  soon  reached  a  clearing 
where  we  found  a  few  bearing  cocoanut  trees.  The  wa 
ter,  fresh  and  cool,  drawn  from  the  nuts,  was  elixir  to 
our  parched  throats. 

CJ  But  not  long  did  we  tarry  in  this  pleasant  spot.  A 
march  of  miles  lay  before  us  and  a  climb  up  steep  moun 
tain  slopes  to  another  hidden  clearing  must  be  made  be 
fore  nightfall.  Soon  we  had  entered  the  true  tropical 
forest.  Here  traveling  was  somewhat  easier,  for  a  cur 
rent  of  air,  hardly  perceptible,  but  a  current  of  air  nev 
ertheless,  made  breathing  less  of  a  task  and,  by  far, 
more  refreshing. 

tj[  Through  this  forest  runs  the  "Royal  Road"  from 
Portillo  to  Santiago  de  Cuba.  As  we  neared  this  high 
way  I  noted  my  companions  one  by  one  disappearing  in 
the  jungle.  I  was  soon  left  alone  with  Gervacio.  Turn 
ing  to  him  to  ask  a  question  I  saw  him  place  a  finger  on 
his  lips,  mutely  sign  to  me  to  have  my  rifle  and  revolver 
in  readiness  and  then  he  too  vanished  amid  the  tropical 
growth. 

18. 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

If  I  was  not  long  in  ascertaining  the  reason  for  this 
strange  conduct.  The  jingle  of  horses'  trappings,  the 
rattling  of  the  short  sabers  carried  by  Spanish  cavalry 
and  occasionally  a  word  of  command,  fell  on  my  ear. 
€J  But  for  the  vigilance  of  those  with  me  we  should 
have  walked  out  on  the  highway  just  in  time  to  encoun 
ter  a  hostile  force! 

CJ  I  cocked  my  rifle  and  swung  my  Smith  &  Wesson 
into  position  for  quick  action  and  waited  tensely  for 
what  was  to  follow.  Every  moment  I  expected  to  hear 
reports  of  firearms.  But  none  came  and  one  by  one  the 
men  returned,  Gervacio  being  among  the  last. 
<I  "We  scattered  in  order  to  deceive  them  in  the  event 
we  had  been  discovered.  We  covered  a  considerable 
stretch  of  the  road  and  had  firing  been  commenced  the 
enemy  would  have  believed  it  an  attack  in  force  from 
ambush.  It  would  have  been  a  successful  one  too," 
Gervacio  added  with  an  expression  of  regret,  "but  duty 
first  and, — "  here  he  smiled, — "pleasure  afterward !" 
<[  Beside  the  trails  along  which  insurgent  parties  usu 
ally  passed,  it  was  the  custom  to  build  fires  and  bury 
sweet  potatoes  in  the  ashes.  There  they  roasted  until 
a  hungry  party  should  pass.  We  came  upon  one  of 
these  fires  during  the  afternoon.  A  baked  sweet  po 
tato  was  passed  out  to  each  of  the  party,  the  fire  cov 
ered  again  and  the  march  resumed. 
CJ  As  we  ate  our  sweet  potatoes  I  thought  of  Marion 
and  his  men  in  the  days  of  the  revolution,  who  fought 
their  battles  on  a  like  diet,  and  through  my  mind  flashed 
the  idea  that  as  Marion  and  his  men  had  fought  to 
victory,  so  also  would  these  Cubans,  who  were  inspired 
by  a  desire  for  liberty  similar  to  that  actuating  the  pa 
triot  fathers  of  my  own  country,  and  it  was  with  a  feel 
ing  of  pride  that  I  recalled  that  my  mission  was  to  aid 
these  people  in  their  efforts  by  communicating  with  their 

19 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

general  and  making  it  possible  for  the  soldiers  of  my 
nation  to  do  battle  in  their  behalf. 

<I   Arriving  at  the  end  of  the  journey  for  the  day,  I  ob 
served  a  number  of  men  in  a  dress  strange  to  me. 
tj   "Who  are  these?"  I  inquired. 

fl  "They  are  deserters  from  the  army  of  Spain,  Senor," 
replied  Gervacio.  "They  have  fled  from  Manzanillo  and 
they  say  that  lack  of  food  and  harsh  treatment  by  their 
officers  were  the  reasons  for  their  leaving." 
<I  Now  a  deserter  is  sometimes  of  value,  but  here  in 
this  wilderness  I  would  have  preferred  their  room  to 
their  company.  Who  could  say  that  one  or  more  of 
them  might  not  leave  camp  at  any  time  and  warn  the 
Spanish  officials  that  an  American  was  crossing  Cuba, 
evidently  bound  for  the  camp  of  General  Garcia?  Would 
not  the  enemy  make  every  effort  to  thwart  him  in  his 
mission?  So  I  said  to  Gervacio: 

f$   "Question  these  men   closely   and   see  that   they  do 
not  leave  camp  during  our  stay!" 
€J   "Si,  Senor!"  was  the  reply. 

<I  Well  for  me  and  the  success  of  my  errand  that  I  had 
given  out  such  instruction.  My  thought  that  one  or 
more  deserters  might  leave  to  apprise  the  Spanish  com 
mander  of  my  presence  proved  to  be  the  correct  one. 
Although  it  is  not  fair  to  presume  that  any  knew  my 
mission,  my  being  there  was  sufficient  to  arouse  the  sus 
picions  of  two  who  proved  to  be  spies  and  also  nearly 
resulted  in  my  assassination.  These  two  determined  to 
leave  camp  that  night  and  plunge  through  the  thickets 
to  the  Spanish  lines  with  the  information  that  an  "offi 
cer  Americano"  was  being  escorted  across  Cuba. 
€|  I  was  awakened  some  time  after  midnight  by  the 
challenge  of  a  sentinel,  followed  by  a  shot,  and  almost 
instantly  a  shadowy  form  appeared  close  by  my  ham 
mock.  I  sprang  up  and  out  on  the  opposite  side  just  as 
another  form  appeared  and  in  less  time  than  it  takes  to 
write  it  the  first  one  had  fallen  as  the  result  of  a  blow 
from  a  machete,  which  cut  through  the  bones  of  his 

20 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

right  shoulder  to  the  lung.  The  wretch  lived  long 
enough  to  tell  us  that  it  was  agreed  if  his  comrade 
failed  to  get  out  of  camp,  he  should  kill  me  and  prevent 
the  carrying  out  of  whatever  project  I  was  engaged  in. 
The  sentinel  shot  and  killed  his  comrade. 
<I  Horses  and  saddles  were  not  available  until  late  next 
day,  at  an  hour  that  made  it  impossible  to  proceed.  I 
chafed  at  the  delay,  but  it  could  not  be  helped.  Sad 
dles  were  harder  to  secure  than  horses.  I  was  some 
what  impatient  and  asked  Gervacio  why  we  could  not 
proceed  without  saddles. 

<J  "General  Garcia  is  besieging  Bayamo,  in  Central 
Cuba,  Senor,"  was  his  reply,  "and  we  shall  have  to  travel 
a  considerable  distance  in  order  to  reach  him." 
€J  This  was  the  reason  for  the  search  for  "monturas," 
the  saddles  and  trappings.  One  look  at  the  steed  as 
signed  me  and  my  admiration  for  the  wisdom  of  my 
guide  mounted  rapidly  and  increased  noticeably  during 
the  four  days'  ride.  Had  I  ridden  that  skeleton  without 
a  saddle  it  would  have  meant  exquisite  torture.  How 
ever,  I  will  say  for  the  horse,  that  with  his  "montura" 
he  proved  a  mettlesome  beast,  far  superior  to  many  a 
well-fed  horse  of  the  plains  of  America. 
fl  Our  trail  followed  the  backbone  of  the  ridge  for 
some  distance  after  leaving  camp.  One  unaccustomed 
to  these  trails  must  surely  have  been  driven  desperate 
by  the  perplexity  of  the  wilderness,  but  our  guides  seem 
ed  to  be  as  familiar  with  the  tortuous  windings  as  they 
would  have  been  on  a  broad  high  road. 
CJI  Shortly  after  we  had  left  the  divide  and  had  begun 
the  descent  of  the  eastern  slope  we  were  greeted  by  a 
motley  assembly  of  children  and  an  old  man  whose 
white  hair  streamed  down  his  shoulders.  The  column 
halted,  a  few  words  passed  between  the  patriarch  and 
Gervacio,  and  then  the  forest  rang  with  "Vivas,"  for 
the  United  States,  for  Cuba  and  the  "Delegado  Ameri 
cano."  It  was  a  touching  incident.  How  they  had  learn 
ed  of  my  approach  I  never  knew;  but  news  travels 

21 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

fast  in  the  jungle  and  my  arrival  had  made  one  old  man 
and  a  crowd  of  little  children  happier. 
t[  At  Yara,  where  the  river  leaves  the  foothills  we 
camped  that  night,  it  was  brought  to  me  that  we  were 
in  a  zone  where  danger  lurked.  "Trincheras"  or  trenches 
had  been  built  to  defend  the  gorge  should  the  Spanish 
columns  march  out  from  Manzanillo.  Yara  is  a  great 
name  in  Cuban  history,  for  from  the  town  of  Yara  came 
the  first  cry  for  "liberty"  in  the  "Ten  Years'  War"  of 
1868-78.  I  was  asked  to  swing  my  hammock  behind 
the  trinchera,  which,  by  the  way,  was  not  a  trench  at 
all,  but  a  breast-high  wall  of  stones,  and  I  noticed  that 
a  guard,  recruited  from  some  unknown  source,  was  post 
ed  and  kept  on  duty  all  night. 

CJ  Gervacio  intended  taking  no  chances  on  my  mission 
being  a  failure. 

tl  Next  morning  we  began  the  ascent  of  the  spur  pro 
jecting  northward  from  the  Sierra  Maestra,  forming  the 
east  bank  of  the  river.  Our  course  lay  across  the  eroded 
ridges.  Danger  lurked  in  the  lowlands.  There  was  the 
possibility  of  ambuscade,  fire  and  the  chance  of  being 
cut  off  by  some  mobile  party  of  Spaniards. 
fl  Here  began  a  series  of  ups  and  downs  across  the 
streams  with  vertical  banks.  In  my  career  I  have  seen 
much  cruelty  to  animals,  but  never  anything  to  equal 
this.  To  get  the  poor  horses  down  to  the  bottom  of 
these  gulches  and  out  again  involved  forms  of  punish 
ment  beyond  belief.  But  there  was  no  help  for  it;  the 
message  to  Garcia  must  be  delivered,  and  in  war  what 
are  the  sufferings  of  a  few  horses  when  the  freedom  of 
hundreds  of  thousands  of  human  beings  is  at  stake? 
I  felt  sorry  for  the  brutes,  but  this  was  no  time  for 
sentiment. 

<I  It  was  with  great  relief  that  after  the  hardest  day 
of  riding  I  had  ever  experienced  we  halted  at  a  hut  in 
the  midst  of  corn  patches  near  the  edges  of  the  forest, 
at  Jibaro.  A  freshly  killed  beef  was  hanging  to  the 
rafters,  while  the  cook  in  the  open  was  busy  prepar- 

22 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

ing  a  meal  for  the  "Delegado  Americano."  My  coming 
had  been  heralded  and  my  feast  was  to  consist  of  fresh 
beef  and  cassava  bread. 

<J  Hardly  had  I  finished  my  generous  meal  when  a 
great  commotion  was  heard,  voices  and  the  clatter  of 
horses'  hoofs  at  the  edge  of  the  forest.  Colonel  Cas 
tillo  of  the  staff  of  General  Rios  had  arrived.  He  wel 
comed  me  in  the  name  of  his  chief,  who  was  due  to 
arrive  in  the  morning,  with  all  the  grace  of  a  trained 
staff  officer;  then  mounting  his  steed  with  an  athletic 
spring,  put  the  spurs  to  his  mount  in  frenzied  fashion 
and  was  off,  as  he  came,  like  a  flash.  His  welcome  as 
sured  me  that  I  was  making  headway  under  a  skilful 
guide. 

€][  General  Rios  came  next  morning  and  with  him  Col 
onel  Castillo,  who  presented  me  with  a  Panama  hat 
"made  in  Cuba."  General  Rios  was  "the  general  of  the 
coasts."  He  was  very  dark,  evidently  of  Indian  and 
Spanish  blood,  with  springy,  athletic  step.  No  Spanish 
column  ever  made  a  sortie  in  his  district  and  found  him 
unprepared.  His  sources  of  information  and  his  intui 
tion  were  uncanny.  It  was  no  small  task  to  move  hid 
ing  families  and  provide  for  their  maintenance,  but  he 
did  it,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  advance  information  of 
enemy  movements  was  imperative.  The  Spanish  meth 
ods  were  to  enter  the  forests,  scour  them  and,  in  default 
of  prey,  lay  the  districts  in  waste.  Meanwhile  General 
Rios  would  conduct  matters  in  guerilla  fashion  and  his 
forces  were  continuously  taking  pot  shots  at  the  Span 
ish  columns,  sometimes  doing  terrible  execution. 
CJ  General  Rios  added  two  hundred  cavalrymen  to  my 
escort.  As  we  marched  single  file  we  would  have  pre 
sented  a  formidable  appearance  had  there  been  anyone 
to  see  us. 

CJ  I  could  not  help  observing  that  we  were  being  led 
with  remarkable  skill  and  speed.  We  had  entered  the 
forest  again  and  were  hiding  in  the  evergreen  dress  of 
the  Sierra  Maestra.  The  trail  was  comparatively  level, 

23 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

but  crossed  at  intervals  by  water  courses  with  steep 
banks.  The  paths  were  so  narrow  we  were  constantly 
running  afoul  of  tree  trunks,  barking  our  shins  and  dis 
lodging  the  impedimenta  from  the  backs  of  our  horses. 
Still  the  guide  held  to  a  steady  gait  that  caused  me  to 
marvel.  My  usual  position  was  near  the  center  of  the 
column,  but  I  wanted  to  be  near  this  centaur  who  was 
in  the  lead  and  at  the  next  water  course  crossing  I  rode 
forward  to  observe  him.  He  was  a  coal  black  negro, 
Dionisio  Lopez,  a  lieutenant  in  the  Cuban  army.  He 
could  trace  a  course  through  this  trackless  forest, 
through  the  tangled  growth,  as  fast  as  he  could  ride. 
His  skill  with  a  machete  was  amazing.  He  carved  a 
way  for  us  through  the  jungle.  Networks  of  vines  fell 
before  his  steady  strokes  right  and  left;  closed  spaces 
became  openings;  the  man  appeared  tireless. 
CJ  The  night  of  April  30  brought  us  to  the  Rio  Buey, 
an  affluent  of  the  Bayamo  River,  and  about  twenty  miles 
from  the  city  of  Bayamo.  Our  hammocks  had  scarcely 
been  swung  when  Gervacio  appeared,  his  face  aglow 
with  satisfaction. 

fl  "He  is  there,  Senor!  General  Garcia  is  in  Bayamo 
and  the  Spaniards  are  in  retreat  down  the  Cauto  river. 
Their  rear-guard  is  at  Cauto-El-Embarcadero !" 
<I  So  eager  was  I  to  get  in  communication  with  Gar 
cia  that  I  proposed  a  night  ride,  but  after  a  conference 
it  was  decided  that  nothing  would  be  gained. 
C[  May-day,  1898,  is  "Dewey  Day"  in  our  calendar.  As 
I  was  sleeping  in  the  forests  of  Cuba,  the  great  ad 
miral  was  feeling  his  way  past  the  guns  of  Corregidor 
into  Manila  Bay  to  destroy  the  Spanish  fleet.  While 
I  was  on  my  way  to  Garcia  that  day  he  had  sunk  the 
Spanish  ships  and  with  his  guns  was  menacing  the  cap 
ital  of  the  Philippines. 

€1  Early  that  morning  we  were  on  our  way.  Terrace 
by  terrace  we  descended  the  slope  leading  to  the  plain 
of  Bayamo.  This  great  stretch  of  country,  laid  waste 
for  years,  was  now  as  if  man  had  never  been.  At  the 
black  remnant  of  the  hacienda  of  Candalaria,  mute  evi- 
24- 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

dence  of  Spanish  methods  of  warfare,  we  passed  into  the 
plain.  We  had  ridden  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
through  a  wilderness  with  hardly  a  habitation  to  show 
that  man  had  ever  lived  in  one  of  Nature's  most  fav 
ored  spots  across  a  tropical  garden  gone  to  weeds. 
Through  grass  so  high  that  our  column  was  hidden 
from  sight,  through  burning  sun  and  blistering  heat,  we 
traveled,  but  all  our  discomforts  were  forgotten  in  the 
thought  that  our  destination  was  at  hand;  our  mission 
nearly  ended.  Even  our  jaded  horses  seemed  to  share 
in  our  anticipation  and  eagnerness. 

<I  At  the  erstwhile  Peralejo,  the  scene  of  the  attack 
by  Maceo  on  the  column  of  General  Campos,  we  struck 
the  royal  road  to  Manzanillo-Bayamo  and  encountered 
joyous  human  beings  in  rags  and  tatters,  all  hurrying 
toward  the  town.  The  chatter  of  these  happy  groups 
reminded  me  of  the  parrots  that  had  shrieked  at  our 
passage  through  the  jungles.  They  were  going  back  to 
the  homes  from  which  they  had  been  driven. 
€[  It  was  but  a  short  ride  from  Paralejo  to  the  banks 
of  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  to  the  town,  once  a  city 
of  30,000,  now  a  mere  village  of  perhaps  2000.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  row  of  blockhouses  the  Spaniards  had 
built  on  both  sides  of  the  stream.  These  little  forts 
were  the  first  objects  to  be  seen  and  their  prominence 
was  emphasized  by  the  flames  and  smoke  still  rising 
as  we  came  into  view.  The  Cubans  had  set  them  on 
fire  when  they  entered  the  former  metropolis  of  this 
once  flourishing  valley. 

fl  We  soon  lined  up  on  the  bank,  and  after  Gervacio 
and  Lopez  had  talked  to  the  guards,  we  proceeded.  We 
halted  in  mid-stream  to  allow  our  horses  to  drink  and 
to  store  up  a  little  energy  for  our  final  dash  into  the 
presence  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  Cuba's  military  des 
tiny  east  of  the  Jucaro-Moron  trocha.* 

*  I  quote  from  the  newspapers  of  the  day:  "The  Cuban  generals  say  the 
arrival  of  Lieutenant  Rowan  aroused  the  greatest  enthusiasm  throughout  the 
Cuban  army.  There  was  no  notice  of  his  coming  and  the  first  seen  of  Lieu 
tenant  Rowan  was  as  he  galloped  up  Calle  Commercial,  followed  by  the  Cu 
ban  guides  who  accompanied  him." 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

<I  In  a  few  minutes  I  was  in  the  presence  of  Gen 
eral  Garcia. 

CJ  The  long  and  toilsome  journey  with  its  many  risks, 
its  chances  of  failure,  its  chances  for  death,  was  over. 
*I  I  had  succeeded. 

CJ  As  we  arrived  in  front  of  General  Garcia's  headquar 
ters  the  Cuban  flag  was  hanging  lazily  over  the  door 
from  an  inclined  staff.  The  method  of  reaching  the 
presence  of  a  man  to  whom  one  is  accredited  in  such 
circumstances  was  new  to  me.  We  formed  in  line,  dis 
mounted  together,  and  "stood  to  horse."  Gervacio  was 
known  to  the  general,  so  he  advanced  to  the  door  and 
was  admitted.  He  returned  in  a  short  time  with  Gen 
eral  Garcia,  who  greeted  me  cordially  and  asked  me  to 
enter  with  my  assistente.  The  general  introduced  me 
to  his  staff — all  in  clean  white  uniforms  and  wearing 
side  arms — and  explained  that  the  delay  was  caused  by 
the  necessary  scrutiny  of  my  credentials  from  the  Cuban 
junta  at  Jamaica,  which  Gervacio  had  delivered  to  him. 
<J  There  is  humor  in  everything.  I  had  been  described 
in  letters  from  the  junta  as  "a  man  of  confidence."  The 
translator  had  made  me  "a  confidence  man." 
C[  Following  breakfast  we  proceeded  to  business.  I 
explained  to  General  Garcia  that  my  errand  was  purely 
military  in  its  character,  although  I  had  left  the  United 
States  with  diplomatic  credentials;  that  the  President 
and  the  War  Department  desired  the  latest  information 
respecting  the  military  situation  in  Eastern  Cuba.  (Two 
other  officers  had  been  sent  to  Central  and  Western 
Cuba,  but  they  were  unable  to  reach  their  objectives.) 
Among  matters  it  was  imperative  for  the  United  States 
to  know  'were  the  positions  occupied  by  the  Spanish 
troops,  the  condition  and  number  of  the  Spanish  forces, 
the  character  of  their  officers;  especially  of  their  com 
manding  officers;  the  morale  of  the  Spanish  troops;  the 
topography  of  the  country,  both  local  and  general;  com 
munications,  especially  the  conditions  of  the  roads;  in 
short,  any  information  which  would  enable  the  Ameri- 

26 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

can  general  staff  to  lay  out  a  campaign.  Last,  but  by 
no  means  least,  General  Garcia's  suggestions  as  to  a 
plan  of  campaign,  joint  or  separate,  between  the  Cuban 
armies  and  the  forces  of  the  United  States.  Also  I  in 
formed  him,  my  government  would  be  glad  to  receive 
the  same  information  respecting  the  Cuban  forces,  or 
as  much  as  the  general  saw  fit  to  give.  If  not  incom 
patible  with  his  plans,  I  would  like  to  accompany  the 
Cuban  forces  in  the  field  in  such  capacity  as  he  might 
see  fit  to  assign  me. 

€J  General  Garcia  meditated  for  a  moment  and  then 
withdrew  with  all  the  members  of  his  staff  excepting 
Colonel  Garcia,  his  son,  who  remained  with  me.  About 
three  o'clock  the  general  returned  and  said  he  had  de 
cided  to  send  three  officers  to  the  United  States  with 
me.  These  officers  were  men  who  had  passed  their 
lives  in  Cuba;  were  trained  and  tried;  all  knew  the 
country,  and  in  their  particular  capacities  could  answer 
all  questions  likely  to  be  propounded.  Were  I  to  re 
main  months  in  Cuba  I  might  not  be  able  to  make  so 
complete  a  report,  and  as  time  was  the  important  ele 
ment,  the  quicker  the  United  States  government  got 
the  information  the  better  it  would  be  for  all  concerned. 
fj  He  went  on  to  explain  that  his  men  needed  arms, 
especially  artillery,  important  in  assaulting  block-houses. 
In  ammunition  he  was  very  short,  and  the  many  rifles 
of  varied  calibre  used  made  it  difficult  to  get  an  ample 
supply.  He  thought  it  might  be  better  to  re-arm  his 
men  with  American  rifles  in  order  to  simplify  that 
question. 

*I  General  Collazo,  a  noted  figure;  Colonel  Hernandez 
and  Doctor  Vieta,  a  valued  relative  who  was  familiar 
with  the  diseases  of  the  island  and  the  tropics  generally, 
and  two  sailors,  both  familiar  with  the  north  coast, 
would  go  with  us;  they  might  be  useful  on  the  return 
expedition  in  case  the  United  States  should  decide  to 
furnish  the  supplies  he  wanted. 
€J  Could  I  proceed  that  day — hoy  mismo? 

27 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

€[   Could  I  ask  more? 

fl  Could  I  ask  more?  I  had  been  continuously  on  the 
move  for  nine  days  in  all  kinds  and  conditions  of  ter 
rain.  I  would  have  liked  to  have  had  a  chance  to  look 
around  me  in  these  strange  surroundings,  but  my  an 
swer  was  as  prompt  as  his  question.  I  simply  replied: 
«I  "Yes,  sir!" 

<I  Why  not?  General  Garcia  by  his  quick  conception 
and  speedy  acceptance  of  conditions  had  saved  me 
months  of  useless  toil  and  had  given  my  country  the 
means  of  obtaining  as  minute  information  of  the  exist 
ing  situation  in  the  island  as  that  possessed  by  the  Cu 
bans  themselves ;  certainly  as  good  as  the  enemy  had. 
€J  For  the  next  two  hours  I  was  the  recipient  of  an 
informal  reception.  Then  a  final  meal  was  served  at 
five  o'clock,  and  at  its  conclusion  I  was  told  that  my 
escort  was  at  the  door.  When  I  reached  the  street  I 
was  surprised  not  to  see  my  former  guide  and  compan 
ion  in  the  column.  I  asked  for  Gervacio,  and  he  and 
the  others  of  the  contingent  from  Jamaica  came  out. 
Gervacio  wanted  to  go  with  me,  but  Garcia  was  ada 
mant;  all  were  needed  for  service  on  the  south  coast 
and  I  was  to  return  by  the  north.  I  expressed  to  the 
general  my  appreciation  for  the  services  of  Gervacio 
and  his  crew,  and  the  column  drafted  from  the  fast 
nesses  of  Sierra  Maestra.  After  a  real  Latin  embrace 
I  broke  away  and  mounted.  Three  cheers  rang  out  as 
we  galloped  northward. 
€1  I  had  delivered  my  message  to  Garcia! 
C[  My  journey  to  General  Garcia  had  been  fraught  with 
many  dangers,  but  it  was,  compared  with  my  trip  back  to 
the  United  States,  by  far  the  more  important,  an  innocent 
ramble  through  a  fair  country.  Going  in  there  had  been 
little  to  contend  with,  for  the  voyage  from  Jamaica  had 
been  on  pleasant  waters,  while  on  the  way  to  the  Cuban 
commander  I  had  been  well  guarded  and  well  guided. 
But  war  had  been  declared  and  the  Spanish  were  alert. 
Their  soldiers  patrolled  every  mile  of  shore,  their  boats 

28 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

every  bay  and  inlet,  the  great  guns  of  their  forts  stood 
ready  to  speak  in  no  uncertain  tones  to  anyone  violating 
the  rules  of  warfare.  To  all  intents  and  purposes  I  was 
a  spy  within  the  enemy  lines!  Discovery  meant  death 
with  one's  face  to  the  wall.  Nor  had  I  thought  of  reck 
oning  with  the  angry  elements  of  sea  and  air,  which  soon 
were  to  convince  me  that  success  is  not  always  a  matter 
of  fair  sailing. 

<J  But  the  effort  must  be  made  and  it  must  be  success 
ful,  otherwise  my  mission  had  been  fruitless.  On  the 
happy  termination  of  it  might  depend,  in  a  large  meas 
ure,  the  carrying  to  victory  of  the  war. 
<I  My  companions  shared  with  me  the  apprehensions 
that  naturally  arose,  so  it  was  with  great  caution  that 
we  proceeded  across  Cuba,  northward,  going  around  the 
Spanish  position  at  Cauto-El-Embarcadero,  head  of  navi 
gation  on  that  river,  at  least  for  gunboats,  until  we  came 
to  the  bottle-shaped  harbor  of  Manati,  where,  on  the 
side  opposite,  a  great  fort,  bristling  with  guns,  guarded 
the  entrance. 

€J  If  only  the  Spanish  soldiery  had  known  of  our  pres 
ence  !  But  perhaps  the  very  audacity  of  our  undertaking 
was  our  salvation.  Who  would  have  suspected  that  an 
enemy  on  a  mission  such  as  was  ours,  would  select  such 
a  place  from  which  to  embark? 

fl  The  boat  in  which  we  made  the  voyage  was  a  cockle 
shell,  "capacity  104  cubic  feet."  For  sails  we  had  gunny- 
sacks,  pieced  together.  For  rations  boiled  beef  and 
water.  In  this  craft  we  were  to  sail,  and  we  did  sail,  150 
miles  due  north  to  New  Providence,  Nassau  Island. 
Think  of  putting  to  sea  on  hostile  waters,  patrolled  by 
swift,  well-armed  lanchas,  in  a  vessel  like  that! 
C[  But  "needs  be  when  the  devil  drives!"  It  was  our 
only  method  of  fulfilling  the  full  measure  of  duty. 
<I  It  was  at  once  apparent  that  this  boat  would  not  hold 
the  six  of  us,  so  Dr.  Vieta  was  sent  back  to  Bayamo 
with  the  escort  and  the  horses,  while  five  of  us  prepared 
to  run  the  gauntlet  of  Spanish  guns  and  outwit  Spanish 

29 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

gun-boats  with  a  craft  not  much  larger  than  a  skiff  and 
with  sails  of  gunny-sacks! 

C|  There  was  a  storm  raging  at  the  time  we  had  fixed 
upon  for  our  departure  and  we  could  not  venture  on  the 
water  while  the  waves  were  rolling  so  fiercely.  Yet  even 
in  waiting  there  was  danger !  It  was  the  time  of  the  full 
moon  and  should  the  clouds  dissipate  with  the  passing 
of  the  gale  our  presence  might  be  detected. 
C[  But  the  fates  were  with  us ! 

€1  At  11  o'clock  we  embarked.  With  only  five  aboard 
the  boat  was  well  down  in  the  water.  The  ragged  clouds 
rushed  like  mad  things  across  the  face  of  the  moon,  al 
ternately  hiding  and  disclosing  us,  while  four  tugged  at 
the  oars  and  a  fifth  steered  a  course.  We  could  not  see 
the  fort  as  we  passed,  and  that  perhaps  was  the  reason 
we  were  not  seen,  but  it  required  no  great  stretch  of 
imagination  to  picture  the  frowning  muzzles  of  the  great 
guns  and  we  toiled  on,  expecting  at  any  moment  to  hear 
the  boom  of  a  cannon  and  the  scream  of  a  shot.  Our 
little  craft  reeled  and  tossed  like  an  egg-shell  and  many 
times  we  were  on  the  point  of  capsizing,  but  our  sailors 
knew  the  course,  our  gunny-sack  sails  stood  the  test  and 
soon  we  were  making  headway  "across  the  trackless 
green." 

fl  Weary  with  the  unwonted  toil  and  with  nothing  to 
break  the  monotony  of  riding  first  one  wave  crest  and 
then  another,  I  fell  asleep  sitting  bolt  upright. 
<I  But  not  for  long.  An  immense  wave  hit  us,  nearly 
filling  our  boat  with  water  and  almost  capsizing  us. 
From  that  time  on  there  was  no  sleep  for  anyone.  It 
was  bail,  bail,  bail  the  long  night  through.  Drenched 
with  brine,  weary  and  worn,  we  were  glad  enough  to  get 
a  glimpse  of  the  sun  as  it  peered  through  the  haze  on 
the  horizon. 

fl   "Un  vapor,  Senores!"   (a  steamer)   cried  the  steers 
man. 
C|   A  feeling  of  alarm  agitated  every  heart.    Suppose  it 

30 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

should  be  a  Spanish  warship?  That  would  mean  short 
shrift  for  all  of  us. 

CJ   "Dos  vapores,  tres  vapores,  Caramba!  doce  vapores!" 
cried  the  steersman,  my  companions  echoing  his  cries. 
Cj   Could  it  be  the  Spanish  fleet? 

<1  But  no,  it  was  the  battleships  of  Admiral  Sampson, 
steaming  eastward  to  attack  San  Juan  del  Puerto  Rico! 
q  We  breathed  easier! 

C[  All  that  day  we  broiled  and  bailed,  bailed  and  broiled. 
Yet  no  one  slept  or  relaxed  his  anxious  outlook.  Despite 
the  presence  of  the  United  States  warships  a  gun-boat 
might  have  escaped  their  vigilance  and  if  so  might  over 
take  and  capture  us.  Night  fell  on  five  of  the  most  tired 
men  that  ever  lived.  We  were  almost  worn  out  with 
fatigue,  but  for  us  there  could  be  no  rest.  With  the  dark 
ness  came  the  wind  again  and  with  the  wind  the  mighty 
waves  and  again  it  was  bail,  bail,  bail,  to  keep  the  little 
vessel  afloat.  It  was  with  feelings  of  intense  relief  that 
on  the  next  morning,  May  7,  at  about  10  o'clock,  we 
sighted  the  Curly  Keys  at  the  southern  end  of  Andros 
Islands  of  the  Bahama  group  and  right  gladly  did  we 
land  there  for  a  brief  rest. 

fl  That  afternoon  we  overhauled  a  sponging  schooner, 
with  a  crew  of  thirteen  negroes,  who  spoke  some  out 
landish  gibberish  we  did  not  understand,  but  sign  lan 
guage  is  universal,  and  soon  we  had  made  arrangements 
for  a  transfer.  This  schooner  carried  a  litter  of  pigs  for 
food  and  an  accordeon.  I  never  want  to  hear  an  accor- 
deon  again.  Tired  almost  to  the  point  of  utter  exhaus 
tion,  I  vainly  sought  sleep  but  the  shrill  notes  of  that 
instrument  prevented  it. 

*I  Next  afternoon  we  were  captured  by  quarantine  offi 
cials  as  we  turned  the  east  end  of  New  Providence 
Island,  and  were  incarcerated  at  Hog  Island,  the  fiction 
of  yellow  fever  in  Cuba  having  given  them  the  excuse. 
<|  But  next  day  I  got  word  to  the  American  consul- 
general,  Mr.  McLean,  and  on  May  10  he  arranged  our 

31 


HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA 

release.  May  11  the  schooner  Fearless  drew  near  the 
wharf  and  we  went  aboard. 

CJ  We  had  got  in  behind  Florida  Keys  when  luck  de 
serted  us.  The  wind  went  down  and  all  day  May  12  we 
lay  becalmed,  but  at  night  a  breeze  came  up  and  on  the 
morning  of  May  13  we  were  in  Key  West. 
€][  That  night  we  took  a  train  for  Tampa  and  there 
boarded  a  train  for  Washington. 

<I  We  arrived  on  schedule  time  and  I  reported  to  Rus 
sell  A.  Alger,  secretary  of  war,  who  heard  my  story  and 
told  me  to  report  to  General  Miles,  taking  General 
Garcia's  aids  with  me.  After  he  had  received  my  report 
General  Miles  wrote  the  secretary  of  war: 
CJ  "I  also  recommend  that  First  Lieutenant  Andrew  S. 
Rowan,  19th  U.  S.  Infantry,  be  made  a  lieutenant-col 
onel  of  one  of  the  regiments  of  immunes.  Lieutenant 
Rowan  made  a  journey  across  Cuba,  was  with  the 
insurgent  army  with  Lieutenant  -  General  Garcia,  and 
brought  most  important  and  valuable  information  to  the 
government.  This  was  a  most  perilous  undertaking,  and 
in  my  judgment  Lieutenant  Rowan  performed  an  act  of 
heroism  and  cool  daring  that  has  rarely  been  excelled 
in  the  annals  of  warfare." 

CI  I  attended  a  meeting  of  the  cabinet  a  day  or  so  after 
my  return,  in  company  with  General  Miles,  and  at  the 
close  I  received  President  McKinley's  congratulations 
and  thanks  for  the  manner  in  which  I  had  communi 
cated  his  wishes  to  General  Garcia  and  for  the  value 
of  the  work. 

€|  "You  have  performed  a  very  brave  deed!"  were  his 
last  words  to  me,  and  this  was  the  first  time  it  had 
occurred  to  me  that  I  had  done  more  than  my  simple 
duty,  the  duty  of  a  soldier  who 

(l   "Is  not  to  reason  why," 
but  to  obey  his  orders. 
fl   I  had  carried  my  message  to  Garcia. 


32 


IF  YOU  WROTE  A  BOOK  THAT  HAD  THE 

Largest  Circulation  of  Any  Book  ever  written 

WHAT  WOULD  YOU  SAY  IF  YOU  WERE 

questioned  about  your  book? 

HERE  IS  WHAT  HUBBARD  SAID  ABOUT 

The  Book  That  Went  Over  the  Top  with  the 

Largest  circulation  ever  known  in  the 

history  of  the  world. 

T 
"The  thing  leaped  hot  from  my  heart,  written 

after  a  trying  day. 
The  immediate  suggestion  came  from  a  little  ar 
gument  over  the  teacups,  when  my  boy  Bert  sug 
gested  that  Rowan  was  the  real  hero  of  the  Cuban 
War.  Rowan  had  gone  alone  and  done  the  thing 
— carried  the  message  to  Garcia. 
It  came  to  me  like  a  flash!  Yes,  the  boy  is  right 
The  hero  is  the  man  who  does  his  work — who 
carries  the  Message  to  Garcia.  I  got  up  from  the 
table,  and  wrote  "A  MESSAGE  TO  GARCIA." 
The  edition  went  out  and  soon  orders  began  to 
come  for  extra  copies.  A  dozen,  fifty,  a  hundred, 
a  thousand,  and  yes,  a  hundred  thousand.  Then 
in  half  million  lots  until  finally  it  was  translated 
into  nearly  every  language/' 

i 

If  you  liked  "HOW  I  CARRIED  THE  MES-, 
SAGE  TO  GARCIA,"  tell  your  friends  about  it 
or  better  still,  send  them  a  copy.  We  will  mail 
one  to  your  friends  on  the  receipt  of  your  order. 

SINGLE  COPIES ....25  Cts. 

FIVE  COPIES  ...... . $1.00 

For  prices  on  Larger  Quantities  write 
Walter  D.  Harney,  Publisher 

Hewes  Building, 
San  Francisco,  California 


*     * 


INITIATIVE 


HE  world  bestows  its  big  prizes,  both 
in  money  and  honors,  for  but  one  thing* 
<I  And  that  is  Initiative.  <|  What  is 
Initiative?  '€[  I'll  tell  you:  It  is  doing 
the  right  thing  without  being  told,  fl  But 
next  to  doing  the  thing  without  being  told  is 
to  do  it  when  you  are  told  once.  That  is  to 
say,  carry  the  Message  to  Garcia:  those  who 
can  carry  a  message  get  high  honors,  but  their 
pay  is  not  always  in  proportion.  Next,  there 
are  those  who  never  do  a  thing  until  they  are 
told  twice;  such  get  no  honors  and  small  pay, 
fl  Next,  there  are  those  who  do  the  right 
thing  only  when  necessity  kicks  them  from 
behind,  and  these  get  indifference  instead  of 
honors,  and  a  pittance  for  pay.  This  kind 
spends  most  of  its  time  polishing  a  bench  with 
a  hard-luck  story.  €|  Then,  still  lower  down 
in  the  scale  than  this,  we  have  the  fellow  who 
will  not  do  the  right  thing  even  when  some 
one  goes  along  to  show  him  how  and  stays  to 
see  that  he  does  it ;  he  is  always  out  of  a  job, 
and  receives  the  contempt  he  deserves,  unless 
he  happens  to  have  a  rich  Pa,  in  which  case 
Destiny  patiently  awaits  around  the  corner 
with  a  stuffed  club,  fl  To  which  class  do  you 
belong?— ELBERT  HUBBARD. 


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DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

1  N  1  t  r*  *"  L  I  E*  r\/\rC  I 

. 

MAY  10  1978 

Jffiltgj7    JON     97l 

i  ,.   . 

,  'AN.  "81^ 

DEC  1  8  1997 

FOR/^NO  DD'  6    40m'  10  '  77      UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BER' 

BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


Gaylamount 
Pamphlet 

Binder  , 

Gaylord  Bros.,  Inc.  r 

Stockton,  Calif. 
T.M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off.  ' 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


984770 


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